Weather conditions threaten Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic

Tournament is one of three such events this winter in northern New England

Feb. 13, 2011

Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic organizer Scott Crowder picks out chunks of ice from a pool of water he hopes will become one of seven hockey surfaces for next weekend's event. Crowder and co-organizer Lou Dimasi were on the ice of Malletts Bay by the fishing access in Colchester prepping the surfaces which included drilling a whole to let water onto the ice, but heavy snow has made conditions less than ideal. / RYAN MERCER, Free Press

Related Links

More than 70 teams will take to the ice atop Lake Champlain in Colchester next weekend for the first annual Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic. That is, the teams will compete if organizers can clear mountains of snow and slush from the lake to obtain enough patches of relatively smooth ice to create the hockey rinks.

Organizers Scott Crowder and Lou DiMasi said the heavy snow this winter is making it a challenge to skate on lakes. The snow prevents cold air from reaching the lake and freezing. And the snow pushes down on the ice, causing water to bubble up and create a layer of thick slush

Friday, a backhoe cleared snow and slush from one nascent hockey rink on the lake. But the mounds of snow and slush pushed to the sides made the ice in the middle of the rink rise into a low mound. Crowder poked a hole in the ice and water gushed to the surface.

He hopes the water will fill in the rink and freeze, creating a relatively smooth surface for hockey. He wants to create seven rinks.

Crowder and DiMasi said their plan will work if the weather cooperates over the next week. That means cold nights to freeze the water that has bubbled up and no snow so that new layers of useless slush don’t form.

“We’re working as hard as we can to even everything out,” DiMasi said.

The pond hockey tournament scheduled for Colchester is one of three such events this winter in northern New England. Crowder said the tournaments, started in 2009, are an effort to bring hockey back to the basics.

People tended to learn hockey skills on bumpy pond and lake surfaces or on crude backyard skating rinks. “This is how a lot of people started playing the game,” DiMasi said.

Teams consist of a range of people, including members of youth hockey leagues, former National Hockey League players and just regular people who are hockey enthusiasts, Crowder said.

In Colchester, all teams are guaranteed to play at least four games, which begin Friday. By Sunday afternoon, the final games will be held and winners determined.

(Page 2 of 2)

Crowder held a similar tournament in New Hampshire last weekend, and he battled snow and slush on the ice, and a heavy snowstorm that erupted during the tournament.

The Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic was to be held on the part of Malletts Bay near Bayside Park. But heavy snow and particularly poor ice conditions there forced Crowder and DiMasi to find another spot of the bay.

After negotiating with state and Colchester officials, he was able to move the tournament to the fishing access further to the west. Crowder said he was thankful to the town of Colchester, which he said has been highly cooperative and helpful during his weather ordeal. Colchester Parks and Recreation Director Glen Cuttitta stopped by the tournament site Friday afternoon and watched as DiMasi and Crowder worked. He said he hoped the two would succeed in getting the rinks ready. “It’s a pretty awesome event. It’s huge. The community is excited about it,” he said.

Business owners hope the pond hockey tournament goes on as scheduled. “It’s obviously going to bring in business,” said Mark Godaire, a manager at Dick Mazza’s General Store, which is a short distance from the hockey tournament site. He said the Malletts Bay area is primarily a summer attraction and business is slow in the winter. So a February event could help boost business.

The weather forecast over the next few days is somewhat discouraging to Crowder and DiMasi. A few inches of snow and relatively mild conditions are expected Sunday and Monday, which would hamper preparations. A thaw might set in Thursday.

Crowder said he would have a better idea Monday whether he can get the rinks ready in time.